Text Box: Past Speakers and Meetings Foraging Techniques and Environmental Enrichment by Stacey Goss Stacey (BCBC 1st vice president) gave us excellent ideas on how to encourage our birds’ natural instinct for foraging. Wild Birds in Your Back Yard by Tamara Peffer Club member Tamara Peffer gave a very interesting and educational presentation on wild birds in the Berks county area. We also learned about there habits and personalities. Acupuncture and Holistic Medicine for your Companion Bird by guest speaker Patty Green Patty Green is a certified Animal and Human acupuncturist. She also deals with herbal and holistic medicine and feather picking birds. She explained to us how herbal and holistic medicine works and how it can be beneficial to our birds. Testing for PBFD, Polyoma, and Psiticosis by guest speaker Dr. Jeleen Briscoe Dr. Briscoe shared her presentation that she normally gives to her vet students at the University of Pennsylvania. The information was very informative and many questions were answered. Dr. Briscoe will be scheduled to return for additional presentations! Well Birdie Exams by guest speaker Dr. John Coniglario Dr. Coniglario spoke about why you should have an annual well birdie check on your bird and what you should have your vet do. He also explained all the various avian tests and vaccines that are available and what you should consider when having your bird checked. A lively and informative question and answer period gave everyone the opportunity to better understand and decide what is best for their feathered companions. Dr. Coniglario will be scheduled to come back to talk about emergency care. Click here to see pictures from this event. Toy Making Workshop by Jay Siebert Our very own Jay Siebert of Siebert Bird Toys showed club members the fine art of toy making. Everyone enjoyed making their toys for their favorite FID as well as for the Club’s raffle table. Click here to see pictures from this event. Annual BCBC Christmas Party and Gift Exchange Each year we hold our annual Christmas Party. Many members and their families come to enjoy all the good food and beverage and to participate in the Gift Exchange. Click here to see pictures from this event. The Benefits of Full Spectrum Lighting by guest speaker Michael Kearney from Featherbrite Michael spoke about how his experience in the metal spinning business led him to design and manufacture a line of full spectrum lighting for bird cages and aviaries. He also spoke about the health benefits of full spectrum lighting. Click here to see pictures from this event. Living with PDD by guest speaker Robert Howard Bob shared his experiences of living with PDD infected birds as well as current information on the progress of research in the field. His presentation was very informative, humorous, and heartbreaking. Bob also emphasized the need for continued fund raising efforts through individuals and small groups, because just as it was with the first bird, the next one lost to PDD will be one to many. Click here to see pictures from this event. Katrina Parrots in Crisis by guest speaker Chris Webb Chris spoke about Katrina Parrots in Crisis in New Orleans. Christine has made two trips to New Orleans and spoke about both of these visits. Click here to see pictures from this event. Meet the Flock Everyone brought their favorite picnic food and drink. We all settled down and swapped stories and picture of our birds. Everyone has a fantastic time and we’re all able to get to know each other better. We now hold this event a couple of time a year. Conure Personality's by guest speaker Sue Lucas Sue has been breeding Conures for well over 12 years. She keeps and breeds ONLY conures! She has 12 different species of Conures. She is one of the founding members of the International Conure Association. Past President of Chester County Bird Club and present member of DELCO Bird Club and AFA. Fundraising and Special Events Wild Parrots of Brooklyn Tour - Brooklyn, NY CBCDV invited us to join them on the tour to see the wild Quaker parrots along with tour guide Steve Baldwin. It was so awesome to see parrots flying around the tree tops just like sparrows and robins! See how they work together as a flock was equally amazing. For more information on the Wild Parrots of Brooklyn, go to Steve’s website at http://www.brooklynparrots.com. To see pictures from this event, click here. Outreach Program at Country Meadows Club members entertained the residents with some of our members’ birds. Click here to see pictures from this event. Liz Wilson - Overview of Parrot Behavior Management (This was our first major event) Liz spoke about how to recognize and manage many different parrot behaviors. She shared her experiences working with birds and their behavior issues. Her lecture was followed with a question and answer period where Liz addressed dealing with the specific behavior issues brought up by the audience. Over 60 people attended and the event closed with a luncheon that was one of the highlights of the afternoon. The Greater Philadelphia Pet Expo - Reading Expo Center This was the Pet Expo’s first year in Reading after being in Ft. Washington for several years. It was estimated that over 20,000 people attended the event over the three days. BCBC was one of only 3 avian related venders in the whole expo! We had tons of people at our booth asking all kinds of questions about our feathered companions and their care. Several of our members brought some of their birds for our “Meet the Flock” area which was a big hit! Click here to see pictures from this event. We now participate in this event each year. Premium Animal Supply Annual Open House Club members were on hand to talk to customers about buying the right bird and how to take proper care of it. We also explained the importance of being part of a bird club. Three new members joined our club during this event. Rick and Andrea brought Mickie, their adopted Umbrella Cockatoo. This was Mickie’s first public event and she loved it! Click here to see pictures from this event. We now participate in this event each year. Gift Wrapping at Fairgrounds Square Mall Club members volunteer at this annual event to raise money for our club. We are also on hand to talk to mall customers who may be considering buying a pet bird and to hand out information about our club. We now participate in this event each year. Chester County Bird Club Show & Mart - Church Farm School, Exton Club members were on hand to answer the many questions posed about how to take proper care of your bird. We also had the opportunity to speak to many new bird owners as well as people looking for information and insight on specific species that they were considering. We gave out Goldenfeast samples which enabled us to talk about proper nutrition. We now participate in this event each year. Pet Bird Extravaganza - York Fairgrounds Club members were once again on hand to answer the many questions posed. Richard and Bill brought their Umbrella Cockatoo and Macaw. This prompted many questions by the curious as well as current Cockatoo and Macaw owners. We also gave out Goldenfeast samples which enabled us to talk about proper nutrition. Click here to see pictures from this event. 3rd Annual Parrot Palooza at Bird Paradise in Burlington, NJ This was the first time that we participated in this event. Club members were on hand to give out samples of Goldenfeast and Avian Naturals bird foods and talk to people about proper nutrition. Over 1,700 people attended this event and we were kept busy answering peoples’ questions about their birds and how to properly care for them. Since there were so many babies of so many species there for sale, we were also able to talk with people about how to care for their new baby and what to expect when they took them home for the first time. Click here to see pictures from this event. Annual Pet Information Expo - Fairgrounds Square Mall - Reading Club members were once again on hand to answer the many questions raised by Mall shoppers who stopped by our table. Some members even brought their birds. The event enabled us to educate people on the proper care of their avian companions as well as those considering purchasing a bird. Click here to see pictures from this event. We now participate in this event each year. Thrifty Birds Mart at the Sheraton Hotel in Reading Club members were on hand to answer the many questions raised by the crowds of people at our club table. Some members even brought their birds. We also held our annual raffle table which was a huge success! Click here to see the latest pictures from this event.